Key holder having visual perceptible key indicating means



May 6, 1952 w. w. PRICKETT ETAL KEY HOLDER HAVING VISUAL PERCEPTIBLE KEY INDICATING MEANS Filed March 20, 1950 4 I I 4 A w 2 Wi/ber MAPrickeff Mona E. Prickell IN V EN TORS' Patented May 6, 1952 UNITED.

KEY HOLDER'HAVING VISUAL PER- CEPTIBLE KEYw 'INDICATIN G ,MEANS WilbenW. Brickett. and Mona E. Prickett,

San Diego, Calif.

Application Marchi20, 1950, Serial No. 150,736;

7 Claims. 1

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in key holders and the primary object of the present invention is to provide a key holder including a plurality of independently rotatable key supports having identifying means thereon that can be easily observed at night or day whereby a proper or selectedkey may be conveniently indicated.

Another very important object of the present invention is to provide a key holder including a pair of side walls, and a novel and iniproved partition member mounted between thewalls and forming, with the walls, four compartments r, c vi k y ei tab pe ieii: ba ts ,side walls.

A further object oi the presentinvention is to provide a key holder of the aforementioned character embodying-a resilient meansfor yielde a users pocket or pocketbook, easily assembled or disassembled, inexpensive to manufacture, and otherwise well adapted for the purposes: for which the same is intended.

Other objects andadvantages reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referenee being bad to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein likenumerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the present invention in use;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the plane of sec-tion line 22 of Figure 1 to show keys received in the compartments of the key case;

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical sectional View taken substantially on the plane of section line 3-3 of F gure 2;

Figure 4 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line 4-4 of Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a perspective view of one of the spring members used in conjunction with the present invention.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein, for the purpose of illustration, there is disclosed a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the numerals l0 and I2 represent a pair of elongated side members or walls between which there is mounted a partition member. l4 having an upper pair of corners anda lowerpair of corners.

An upper sleeve I6 is integrally formed with one upper corner of the partition member, 14 and is disposed diagonally, from alower sleeve l8 integrally formed with a lower corner, of the partition member I4. The sleeves l6 and [B are located on the same side of the partition member 14 and are joined by'a diagon'al partition till-that abuts'thefsidewall l0."

Upper and lower fasteners 22 and 24 are extended through apertures. in the side wall I0 and. are threaded in thesleeves l6- and [8. to hold the partition member. I'dbetween theside walls It and I2, and to form upper and lower compartments between the partition 7 member 'I 4 andthe sidewall [0 with the diagonal partition 20 forming a wall common to theupperand lower compartments.

Another upper sleeve 26 is integrally formed with the remaining upper corner of the partition member and is disposed diagonally from another lower sleeve 28 integrally formed with the re:

maining corner of thepartition member I l. The

sleeves 26 and 28 are located o'n the sameside of they partition member l4 and are joined by a diagonal partitionr3ll. 'I he sleeves 26, 28 and the: partition 30 are disposed. on the opposite I6, {Bland the partition 20.

Upperand lower fasteners 32. and 34- extend through the side wall l2 andare threaded inthe sleeves 26' and 28 to retain' the partition member. between the side walls and the, partition 30v against the inner face of the side wall l2. An upper compartment is formed} by the, partition member [4, the side wall l2f'and.thepartition ii'il and a lower compartmentisformed by the side wall i2, the partition member l14- and the f 'artition 30.

A circular opening 36v is provided adjacent each end of each side wall "I fi'andl l2. AT finger gripping disk' '38 is associated with each of the openings and these disks 38 include stub axles or lugs 40 that are journaled for rotation in the openings 35. Bolts 42 extend through openings in keys 44 and are threaded into the axles 40.

Means is provided for retaining the keys 44 in the aforementioned compartments. This means comprises a group of spring members 46, one for each disk 38, in the form of resilient, circular plates 48, each having a central opening for receiving the axles 40. A pair of arcuate side ofthe'partition member 14 from the sleeves.

fingers 52 and 54 are struck from each plate 48. The plates 48 are received on the axles 40 and are located between the outer faces of side walls and the inner faces of the disk 38. The fingers 52 and 54 yieldingly bear against the inner faces of the disks 38 to yieldingly maintain the disks 38 in a manually rotated position.

Resilient spacer washers 56 embrace the bolts 42 and are held between the keys and the inner ends of axles 48.

The disks 38 are provided with visual perceptible means in the form of indicia or dots 58 that are coated with phosphorescent material. One of the disks 38 is painted with one dot, another disk 38 with two dots, a third disk 38 with three dots, and the fourth disk with four dots, to distinguish the disks from each other.

To expose the keys or a selected key, a selected disk 38 is rotated to swing the key out of its compartment, it being understood that the keys can only be moved out of the compartment in one direction due to the sleeves on the partition member [4.

Access to the keys for removal or replacement thereof is available by removing either the fasteners 22, 24, or 32, 34, which will separate the side walls and 12.

In view of the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, it is believed that a clear understanding of the device will be quite apparent to those skilled in this art. A more detailed description is accordingly deemed unnecessary.

It is to be understood, however, that even though there is herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, the same is susceptible to certain changes fully comprehended by the spirit of the invention as herein described and within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A key holder comprising a pair of side walls, a partition member positioned between said side walls and including an upper pair of sleeves and a lower pair of sleeves, a fastener joining one upper sleeve of said member to one side wall, another fastener joining the other upper sleeve of said member to the other side wall, a further fastener joining one lower sleeve of said member to said one of said side walls, a still further fastener joining the other lower sleeve of said member to said other of said side walls, and key supporting means supported solely by each end of each side wall, said upper and lower sleeves projecting'laterally from both sides of the partition member and engaging said side walls to space the partition member from the side walls to define compartments between the partition member and the side walls for receiving keys.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said key supporting means includes a finger g'rip disposed exteriorly of said side walls and having a stub 4 axle, said side walls having 'o'pening's therein rotatably receiving said stub axles, and key holding bolts disposed between the side walls and threaded in said axles.

3. The combination of claim 2 and spring means supported on said axles and biased between said finger grip and the side walls, said spring means yieldingly retaining said finger grips in a selected rotated position.

4. The combination of claim 1 and a first diagonal partition on one side of said member, and a second diagonal partition on the other side of said member and intersecting the first partition.

5. The combination of claim 1 wherein said means includes a rotatable finger gripping knob having a visual perceptible key indicating means thereon.

6. A key holder comprising a pair of side walls, a partition member located between and spaced from the side walls, said partition member including a first diagonal partition on one side engaging the inner face of one side wall to define with the partition member and said one side wall upper and lower key receiving compartments, said partition member including a second diagonal partition on its other side intersecting the first partition and defining with the other side wall and the partition member upper and lower key receiving compartments, said second partition engaging the inner face of said other side wall, sleeves integrally formed with the ends of the partitions disposed transversely'thereof, each of said sleeves contacting one of the side walls, a screw securing each sleeve to the wall it contacts and a manually rotatable key holding ceiving sleeves. integrally formed with the wall and the ends of the partitions.

WILBER W. PRICKETT. MONA E. PRICKETT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PA'IENTS Number Name Date 1,493,689 Marcus May 13, 1924 1,934,889 Segal Nov. 14, 1933 2,006,286 Waller June 25, 1935 2,248,436 Rivers July 8, 1941 2,387,319 Evans Oct. 23, 1945 2,433,644 Bennetch Dec. 30, 1947 2,517,500 McPherson et al Aug. 1, 1950 

